This invention relates to a clothing accessory. It relates more particularly to a woman""s purse or clutch of the type normally used to carry cosmetics, keys, wallets and the like.
A woman""s purse or clutch normally comprises a frame and a flexible cover secured to the frame which defines an enclosure or pouch. The frame is designed so that it can be opened and closed. It usually consists of a pair of V-frames, the lower legs of each V-frame being hinged together and the upper ends of the legs in the frame pair being connected by parallel rails. When the parallel rails are spread apart, there is an opening into the top of the cover. On the other hand, when the rails are brought together, that opening is closed. Usually some means are provided for releasably securing the two rails together to maintain the purse in its closed condition. Sometime also, the opposite ends of a strap are connected to opposite ends of one of the rails to provide a loop so that the purse can be hung from the shoulder.
Invariably purses of this general type have a fixed cover with a particular exterior and/or design or color. Therefore, a purse is selected for use only when it coordinates with the color and design of the user""s clothing. This means that if a woman has an extensive wardrobe, she must also possess a variety of different purses to match the different dresses comprising that wardrobe. Not only does this have cost implications, it also means that storage space must be provided for the assortment of purses.
It would be desirable, therefore, to be able to minimize the number of different purses needed to satisfy a woman""s wardrobe requirements.
Accordingly it is an object to the present invention to provide a woman""s purse which can have a variety of different exterior colors and ornamental designs.
Another object of the invention is to provide a woman""s purse whose exterior appearance can be transformed to suit a variety of different formal and informal occasions.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a transformable woman""s purse or clutch which is relatively easy to make and whose cost should not be appreciably higher than that of a conventional woman""s purse.
Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the following detailed description, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
Briefly, my purse or clutch comprises a frame and a cover which is removable from the frame enabling a variety of different covers having different exterior designs to be mounted to the frame. As usual, the frame may comprise V-frames connected by parallel rails. However, in one purse embodiment the rails are formed as long clips which releasably engage opposite upper edge margins of the cover to secure the cover to the frame. In a second purse embodiment, the upper edge margins of the cover are secured to the frame by fastening them to a liner permanently attached to the frame at locations adjacent to the rails. Both embodiments allow a woman to change the exterior color and/or design of the purse to coordinate with the clothing she is wearing simply by substituting a different cover. Resultantly, by being able to purchase a single purse frame with a variety of purse covers, she should be able to satisfy all of her wardrobe requirements at minimum cost. Also, since the covers fold flat, there is a savings in the amount of drawer or closet space required for storage.